Decorative material for ornamental panels, plaques, or the like



March 30,1926. 1,578,982

L. J. GLOSTER DECORATIVE MATERIAL FOR ORNAMENTAL PANELS, PLAQUES, OR THE LIKE Filed June 15', 1925 FIG. 1

fnl/eni'or; Leonarr l James qloa'ter 3 WM MP Patented Mair. so, 1926.

- UNJTEDnSlATES- LEONARD iTAMES GLOSTER, OF IBIRIIIINGEHAIVII, ENGLAND.

DECORATIVE MATERIAL FOR ORNAMENTAL PANELS, PLAQUES, on THE LIKE.

Application filed June 15, 1925. Serial No. 37,018.

. To (LU 407207)} it may concern:

Be it known that I, LnonAno JAMES GLos'rnn, a subject of the King of Great Britain, of 33 IIockley I-lill, Birmingham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to. :1. Decorative Material for Ornamental Panels, Plaques, or the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new or improved decorative material for ornamental panels, plaques, or the like adapted for application to articles of jewelry, clocks, watches, hand-bags, ornamental cases and boxes, brushes, mirrors, toiletware and various other articles:

The object ,of my invention is to provide simple and inexpensive means whereby the appearance and effect of enamel ornamentation can be very closely lmltated.

Enamel for the purpose of ornamentation is generally in the form of a coloured translucent layer applied to a silver or other metal surface which has previously been engine-turned or otherwise treated. The surface so produced is of attractive appearance, but is extremely expensive and is very fragile, as a slight blow or a sudden change in temperature is sufficient to break or crack the enamel.

By my invention a similar effect can be produced very cheaply, and the finished article cannot readily be damaged and is proof against cracking under any conditions to which it is liable to be subjected in use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a decorative material which is of extremely attractive appearance, and can be readily produced in any desired colour or shade,-or may be uncoloured if desired or arranged to give the appearance of a transparent enamel over engine-turned gold, silver or other metal.

Another object is to provide a decorative material which can be supplied in panels or sheets of any desired size or shape and bearing any desired pattern. The material is thus made available for a wide variety of different purposes. A

My invention comprises the manufacture of a decorative material fulfilling these objects by impressing a pattern on a surface of a translucent and flexible sheet and applying to the impressed surface a, thin coating of metal or other suitable opaque substance.

been illustrated in the accompanying draw-' ings in order that the manner of carrying it into practice may be made clear.

In these drawings I Figure 1, is a section on an enlarged scale of a piece of material made in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2, is a diagrammatic section showing one methol of lmpressing the sheet of material.

Figure 3, is a front elevation of a clock sholwing one method of utilizing the mater1a Figure 4, is a diagrammatic section show ing one method of impressing a pattern on the inner surface'of a tube.

As shown in Fig. 1 the material consists of a sheet of celluloid or cellulose acetate a having a suitable raised or impressed pat tern on one face to which is applied a thin coalting b of metal or other suitable materia Various methods maybe employed for impressing the patterns on the back of the sheet, but in practice I have found the method illustrated in'Fig. 2 to be convenient. The desired pattern is engine-turned, engraved or otherwise out on oneface of a flat plate 0 of silver orother metal and this plate is employed as one die of a pair between which the celluloid sheet is pressed in a suitable press and at a suitable temperature, the other die 03 having a smooth polished surfaceto give a the other side of'the sheets In a common method of manufacturing sheet celluloid the final process is the'pressing ofthe sheet between heated and planished dies, and this process may conveniently be replaced by that described above so that the cost of manufacturing the sheet is not appreciably increased.

On removing the sheet from the dies the plan-ished surface to surface of the tube.

engine-turning will be impressed'on one face of the sheet, and this face is then coated with gold, silver, bronze, or other metal by any of the lmownnnictal-spraying processes.

In one process which is found satisfactory in practice the metal in finely-divided form is mixed with a lacquer or other suitable liquid and is blown onto the surface by air pressure. The same result may also be obtained by the known process of spraying fused metal upon the surface by air pressure.

Celluloid sheet of an desired colour or shade may be employe to imitate enamel of any colour and the effect may be varled by employing a sprayed coating of different metals on theback.

The finished sheets may be employed for a wide variety of purposes which will be apparent to those familiar with the art. For example, they may form panels for the sides of a hand-bag, fronts for ornamental clocks, linings for cigarette cases, or be inset into the lids and sides ofboxes.

A clock has been illustrated by way of example in Fig. 3 in which the surround e for the clock f is formed from a coloured sheetof my improved material coated on its rear surface with silver and 'enclosed within a suitable silver or other rim 9. The appearance of the surround is 'dentical with that of coloured enamel on an dpgine-turned silver plate, and could not bee istinguished therefrom except by expert examination.

Where a circular sheet-of the material is required the engine-turning is preferably of a circular pattern, and where the. material is required in tubular form, a pattern may be impressed on the inner surface of the tube in the manner illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4.

In this case a tube h of celluloid or cellulose acetate is enclosed with a cylindrical aperture in a block j, the aperture being of such a diameter that the tube may be readily inserted therein.

An expanding mandrel is then inserted into the tube having the periphery of each segment is engraved or engine-turned with a suitable pattern arid the mandrel is expanded to impress this pattern on the'inner This inner surface is subsequently coated with metal as described above and the resulting tube has the appearance of an en ine-turned or engraved metal tube coated with enamel.

The presenceof the metal coating on the back of a sheet of celluloid or cellulose acetate does not impair its fiexibilit and where the material is employed for lining cigarette cases or the like it may be moulded to any desired contour by pressing between dies which are warmed to such--a-temperature as on removal f1 am the dies.

I claim 1.- The manufacture of a decorative material by impressing a pattern upon a. sur face of translucent and flexible material and applying to the impressed-surface a'thin coating ofopaque material.

2. The manufacture of a decorati e material by pressing a sheet of translucent and flexible material between a planished die and a die having a pattern cut on its surface so that one surface of the sheet is impressed with that pattern, and subsequently coating {he impressed surface with a thin opaque ayer.

3. The manufacture of a decorative material by impressing a pattern upon one surface of a sheet of translucent and flexible material and in coating the impressed surfacewith a thin layer of metal applied by spraying.

4. The manufacture of a decorative material by impressing a pattern uponone surface of a sheet of cellulose material and in coating the impressed surface with a thin layer of metal applied by spraying.

5. The method of making a decorative ma terial by expanding a member within a thinwalled tube of translucent and flexible material enclosed within a rigid outer container, the peripheral faces of the expand- 1ng member having a pattern cut thereon, which pattern is impressed on the inner surface of the tube, in removing the member and in coating the impressed inner surface with a thin layer of opaque material.

6. A decorative material comprising translucent and flexible sheet material, having a pattern impressed on one surface and a thin layer of opaque material applied to the impressed surface.

7. A decorative material comprising translucent and flexible sheet cellulose material having a pattern impressed on one surface and planished on the other surface and a thin metallic coating applied to the impressed surface.

8. The method of manufacturing a decorative tube of translucent and flexible material by impressing a pattern on the inner surface thereof by means of an expanding member, and by coating the impressed inner surface of the tube with opaque material.

In testimony whereof I afiixmy signature.

LEONARD JAMES GLOSTER. 

